A Visitor From Russia Maarten Meier went to Russia when he graduated from UTS in 1991 and his family joined him soon after. They have lived in Moscow ever since and have slowly absorbed the Russian culture. During a visit to UTS in January, Maarten reported that his desire to delve further into the Russian soul and psyche has led him to enroll at Moscow State University where he is studying Russian Literature. “In Russia, perhaps more than anywhere,” he said, “philosophy and literature are very closely intertwined. The Russian people are very proud of their literature and are very familiar with the works of the great writers.” Maarten admits that studying in the Russian language is a big challenge but he says he is being helped by his Russian classmates. Maarten was in New York to attend a meeting of the International Education Foundation which sponsors conferences and publications in Russia and China on the topic of character education.